Today I walked to a nearby diner during a mild fall of snow. Roads here are not really made for walking, so it didn't last long until a guy in a pickup hailed me and asked if I needed some help. I do these walks to avoid obesity, but from a strangers point of view it must seem dangerous to balance crutches under such treacherous conditions. In an american context there is the added novelty of seeing someone not driving.

Things I saw today that you do not see in Europe: A Hummer is a very large, cartoon-like vehicle. A hummer with a snow blade is a monster.

Book title: "The Rise of the Creative Class". This is about us. Those who use their artistic or logical creativity as an integral part of their work. More people than ever live like artists and scientists. This will have implications for social structures we now take for granted. More will follow.

Not Autumn, Landmines

A danish biotech company has developed a plant capable of detecting explosives in the ground. Seed and wait a few weeks. If the plant turns red, stay out of the area.

Sleep on it

"A study of mathematical problem-solving has now shown that a good night's rest really does give you a fresh perspective." : Nature. I have been frustrated with some (to me) complicated problems several times, only to wake up the next morning with the solution in my mind. This gives new meaning to D.A.D.'s Sleeping My Day Away.

Even in Virtual Worlds

"The parallels between [...] virtual worlds and real life was highlighted last week when a report alleging organised crime and prostitution within a precinct of The Sims Online caused controversy." Article in New Scientist.

I should grow a beard to fend of the cold. New York Times: "Piercing cold winds and freezing temperatures set winter records in some parts of the northeastern United States today and at least six deaths were attributed to the extreme weather. [...] The National Weather Service [...] advised people to limit their time outdoors, or at least to dress in layers and cover all exposed skin, because of the danger of hypothermia and frostbite.".

Ah, it is nice to work with C++ again. It feels like a childhood world full of adventures has choosen to reveal itself for me again. Maybe I should celebrate the reunion with a Lian-Li Aquarium PC Case.

I'm Back in a Brown Hat

It is very cold in Connecticut these days, so I bought a brown hat. Now I too can look like a street kid. Speaking of cool, Sony released a new baby. Say hello to the X505 laptop .
Today will be spent coding in C++, as my WinBUGS code is running exceedingly slow at a large number of observations.

Deconstruction: A Recipe

An engineers take on the arts subject of deconstruction. Read How to Deconstruct Almost Anything.